1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pharmaceuticals, and more particularly to the authentication of pharmaceuticals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are one of the most critical issues facing the pharmaceutical industry today. The World Health Organization estimates that 5-8 percent of worldwide trade in pharmaceuticals is counterfeit. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are products manufactured without the authorization and supervision of the trademark holder and may contain contaminants or incorrect amounts of active ingredients. While purchases made over the Internet or from other countries are the most likely to be counterfeit, even a local pharmacy can unwittingly be carrying the illicit items. Packaging and distribution of counterfeit pharmaceuticals are sophisticated global operations, with a complex network of wholesalers who buy and sell medicines. Counterfeiters further use forged paperwork and packaging to slip counterfeit pharmaceuticals into commerce to be shipped to legitimate pharmacies nationwide.
With regard to counterfeit pharmaceutical production, several countries are emerging as sources of great concern. Products may be concealed among shipments of similar items from the source countries and entered into the U.S. economy in international freight. A further problem with counterfeit pharmaceuticals is the fact that many counterfeit pharmaceutical products come from illegal operations with very poor controls and may contain ingredients that could be harmful. A recent report released by the Centre for Medicines in the Public Interest projected counterfeit drug sales to reach $75 billion in 2010, a 92 percent increase from 2005. The report estimates counterfeit drug sales will grow 13 percent a year through to 2010, compared to just 7.5 percent estimated annual growth for global pharmaceutical commerce. In addition to counterfeiting, there is also an ongoing problem of product diversion as well as the reintroduction of expired products into the supply chain.
Liability issues, consumer confidence, and brand erosion costs are driving pharmaceutical manufacturers to adopt technologies to combat this growing global problem. Over the past year, various systems of “track and trace” technologies and product authentication technologies have debuted for applying both bar codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to preserve product integrity. Many pharmaceutical companies have conducted RFID trials that aim to keep fake drugs out of U.S. commerce, but the technology has significant limitations. An RFID tag attached to drug containers can be used as a tracking device for the container, not as a mechanism for securing the pharmaceutical product inside the container. Thus, RFID tags cannot provide assurance to users that the pharmaceutical product is authentic, the RFID tag only provides a record of authentication of the pharmaceutical product's journey through the supply chain.
Therefore, there is a need to improve the processes of the prior art and more particularly for a more efficient way for authenticating legitimate pharmaceuticals.